Tyler Barrick/For the Star-LedgerSouth Brunswick police made five arrests of people who are accused of stealing when they could to pay for their heroin habits, officers say.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Quick-working investigators tracked down and arrested five accused thieves who are accused of stealing to pay for their heroin habits over the last week, police said.

The five unrelated arrests were made by solving the "crimes of opportunity" in the first 24 hours, and in most cases, recovering the stolen items, ranging from power tools, home decorations, to an I-Pad, said Det. Sgt. James Ryan. The crimes were all crimes of opportunity, he said, and items could have disappeared if there wasn’t a quick response.

“The investigators worked really quickly, because if you don’t find the people in the first 24 hours, you often don’t recover the stolen items,” Ryan said.

Three of the arrests were made on July 10. Sherman Johnson, a 29 year old from New Brunswick, and Dawn Feldner, 31, of Highlands, allegedly stole an I-Pad from some Texan guests staying at the Hotel Vincenza on Route 1, Ryan said. In an unrelated theft, Chris Olsen, 21, was arrested for allegedly stealing a brass horse, brass lobster, brass elephant and a ring from a Brookside Mobile home. Olsen had received just $67 from their sale to a scrap yard, where they were later recovered, the police said.

The next day, Joshua Kitson, a 19-year-old South Brunswick man, was arrested and charged with burglarizing residences on Lime Street and Plum Street. He’s still being held at the Middlesex County Correction Center in lieu of $250,000 bail, and several of the items he allegedly stole were recovered.

Yesterday, Melanie Hansen, 21, allegedly stole power tools from an Avenue F residence, and is accused of selling the items in the New Brunswick area.

Ryan said the normally-low South Brunswick crime rate has remained low, and there isn’t an uptick in heroin distribution in the South Brunswick area. Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said he was pleased with the results of the fast arrests.

“We will continue to target those people who look to victimize members of our community,” Chief Raymond Hayducka said. “Our efforts will continue to identify other people connected to these individuals.”